A story of a very wise man-

A very long time ago there lived a King and a Queen in a big castle far far away.  The King and the Queen were expecting their first born son.  They waited for a very long time to have this child, so the King made up his mind to give this child everything in life.  The child would never be exposed to any suffering.  He would know the riches and luxury and would at no time be exposed to any miseries in life.  All his heart's desires would be fulfilled at all times.  

Now there is a saying:  

                                                               

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So when the baby was born, the King build high walls all around the palace and the child grew up knowing nothing of the outside world.  The King spoiled the child giving him everything that he wanted, and as planned the child grew up totally unaware of the outside world.  He was not aware of poverty, death, or the cruelty of human beings. 

So despite all the wealth and luxury, this child grew up with a feeling of meaninglessness.  He felt empty.  He grew up to be a somewhat pissed off person. Nothing anyone ever did for him was quite enough, because it did not mean anything.  The Prince wanted to explore what was behind these walls, and one night he snuck out of the palace to see what was beyond the walls.  

For the first time in his life, he saw human suffering.  He saw neglected old people, he saw poverty and he saw how cruel life could be.  He was absolutely horrified.  

Now the Prince was in a personal crisis.  He didn't know how to handle everything that he saw on the outside of the walls, so he started complaining and ended up blaming his father for the very thing that his father tried to do for him.  

The Prince firmly believed that it was his living arrangements and the luxury life that caused him to feel this way.  He blamed his father for having a meaningless life.  So... the Prince ran away.  

He gave up all the money in the world to live as a beggar on the streets, and boy did he suffer.... he believed that suffering would give him a meaning to his life.  

Many years passed and the Prince still lived on the streets, still searching for meaning to his life.  A few more years passed and then...... NOTHING happened.  The Prince realized that suffering actually sucks and that it doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor, the suffering is exactly the same.  

The Prince cleaned himself up and went to sit under a tree.  There he went into a deep meditation.  During his time of meditation the Prince came to the conclusion that we all suffer from time to time. Life is full of suffering...rich people suffer because they don't have meaning in their lives, and poor people often suffer because of their desire to be rich.

This Prince would later become known as Buddha.

                                                              

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Are we ever truly happy?

Problems are everywhere around us.  We all encounter some type of problem every single day of our lives.  What we don't realize is that problems keep us alive and thinking.  Thinking about problems keep our brains alive, and happiness comes when solving a problem.  

Solving problems = happiness

Think about this..... we create most of our own problems.  Yes, most of the problems we have in life is because we create them ourselves, and a problem is only a real problem if there is a solution.  If you can find a solution then that problem goes away.  If there is no solution then it was not a problem in the first place.  

We create our problems because our subconscious minds need some excitement to keep us going.  Does this make sense?  Happiness is a work in progress. To solve our problems is a constant work in progress. Happiness is not given to anyone on a plate.  We need to work to be happy.  

Many people are in complete denial and can't admit that they have problems in the first place.  They are distracted from reality.  They feel "happy" in the short term, but because they refuse to believe that they have problems, they get depressed and start to feel insecure.  

Then there are people who play the victim.  They have so many problems and they don't believe that there are any solutions.  Problems are just ignored and they carry on with life as if nothing is wrong.  They try and bury these problems and make it go away on it's own.  BUT problems ALWAYS come back to bite you in the BUTT!  

Conclusion:  

Problems are everywhere.  Sort out your sh*t while you still can.  Happiness and peace only exists if you solve all the issues you have in life.  We all strive towards happiness and there is no way that we can be happy if there are obstacles in our way.  Don't make yourself believe that you are happy with all these self-help books and motivational speakers telling us that we must tell ourselves that we are happy. 

Would it really help to stand in front of a mirror telling yourself to believe that you are happy ?  Solve the issues that are right in front of you, and then, you will feel happy.  Even if if is only for a short time, because guess what, more problems will appear.....

Don't be like that little boy in the story above.  Be aware of what is around you and start to work through all your issues one by one, and ultimately you will find happiness..... until the next problem appears.... 

                                                  

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